Has it really been a YEAR?!?!

Wow! Our little Evelyn Rose is a whole year! Obviously, I can't sum her up on this blog, but I'll list a few things that make her who she is, and show what she's doing now.

She's one of the most laid back well mannered babies I've ever seen. She's always just gone with the flow. HOWEVER, she will make it well known if something doesn't suit her (doesn't happen often, but she makes it clear). She really is happy 99.9% of the time and doesn't seem to work her way into a twit...yet. We'll see how she measures up, but to me she seems to be short and compact. Cutest thigh rolls ever! Her hair hasn't been growing a whole lot. It's a bit of a mullet if she is looking up and we pull it straight, or out of her collar, in the back...you really have to look for it. Not yet enough to hold in a bow, and very straight and fine. It's got a red hint and a blonde hint, but mostly light brown, I'd say. She still only has 2 teeth. She loves clapping! She does it to music, when mimicking, and when she's happy or proud of herself. She sleeps well through the night (7:30 or 8 to 6:30 or 7) and naps very erratically to fit everyone else's schedule...but she never complains about that or wakes up in a bad mood. She smiles a lot, but doesn't laugh all that often (more now than she used to). She really wants to be a part of the action when she sees kids playing. She crawls after the boys when they're racing the Fred Flinstone cars in the cul-de-sac. She LOVES food and will eat almost anything she's been given, but particularly likes sweets...and gets very angry if you take them away, or worse, eat them in front of her. She loves her big brother, but doesn't want him to hold her back when she's on the move. Her absolute favorite game is peek-a-boo. She'd play it all day with dirty laundry and never get bored. That's one thing that makes her laugh. She wears mostly 12 month clothes, but still fits in lots of 9 month pants. Size 3 shoe. She's also a master at raspberries...not the fruit, but the noise. She does lots of head banging and head butting...not sure what to think about that, but she's not doing it too terribly hard yet, so it's still fun. She stands, squats, and dances well, but is still at max 2 steps. I think mostly because she's got lightning speed on her knees.

Monday we had her birthday party. The day before she was born we hosted a low country boil for our small group. We usually do that at the beach, but for obvious reasons couldn't go, and I wasn't going to miss out on the shrimp. When it was over, we left for the hospital, and a few hours later, early the next morning, welcome Evelyn Rose! So, this year we decided to host a repeat celebration-minus labor and delivery. We had lots of fun. Here are some pictures....

Eve and Grandma...hmmmm you think Grandma likes her "role"?

Clockwise left to right - Mahala, John, Zach, Tiffany, Lauren, Rachel, Noah (can't quite see him), and Ned. All coloring with permanent markers. I must be crazy!




At the risk of rushing her to the emergency room during her birthday, we gave her her first bite of shrimp. Come on, we had to. She seemed to like it. Maybe because it's in her blood...maybe because she was born on it. Either way, it was a hit.

She likes juice, too, and has her own personal drink holder. Otherwise known as Grandma. Eve doesn't yet know how good she's got it.

Buck, Zach, and Chris making sure the table is empty before the next batch comes out

We had a fish theme because both John and Eve, but especially Eve, loved the fish at the zoo and we got a tank for her birthday. I took a shot at making the cake myself. Doesn't look professional, but looks like it was made with a lot of love - and it was. This is her little personal cake.

And here goes the cake progression. She started out so clean. People may wonder why we strip our children down before giving them cake. You'll see......

It's all over when it gets in the eyes, poor thing.

After Eve was finished with the party hat, John took it for a spin. He looks so pretty in pink.

John was such a good helper opening gifts - of course.


It's my party and I'll cry if I want to... Having a birthday is so exhausting

John can't wait 'till it's his turn.